Articles written by Karen Kalbacher

What is Helium

About me - Karen Kalbacher

I'm a Philadelphia native and I've been writing short stories for the last ten years at least. I have been published in online magazines and have done several band interviews for Origivation.com. I've also written copy for websites, ghosted a bunch of articles

+ more bio information

RSS Feed

Arts & Humanities > British Literature Should Harry Potter consider Professor Snape more of a friend or a foe?: 2 of 16
From the moment we're introduced to Severus Snape we know he's a bad guy. He's dressed all in black. He has greasy hair. He in Slytherin and he enjoys torturing Harry Potter at every given opportunity. But was there more to him than a potions teacher forever denied what he wants? Namely the Defense Against the Arts posting an... More..
Home & Garden > Furniture Furnishing a house on a budget: 4 of 24
Furniture stores can be crazy expensive. When I first got my apartment I went couch shopping and told the guy my budget for loveseat and sofa was $700. All he could show me were couches or loveseats that were $700 on their own. I ended up buying a friend's sofa. When furnishing on a budget here's a few things to keep in mind:... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Witch tales: 6 of 28
The Witch on the CornerEmrick wasn't frightened of the house on the corner. That wasn't to say the moldy old house with its weird mustard yellow flower garden and front lawn full of rotting neighborhood toys didn't make him nervous. Edging past it every day on the way to and from school did make life interesting after all. Sc... More..
Entertainment > Music Genres, Trends & Scenes Reflections on the best and worst of karaoke: 15 of 53
Karaoke can be one of the most entertaining ways to while away time at a bar. The best place to sing Karaoke in my town was in a dive where people could still smoke and most people wore ratty jeans. The relaxed atmosphere was perfect for downing liquid courage and singing the most ridiculous song you could find. I love to sin... More..
Creative Writing > Memoirs Testimonies: My guinea pig: 4 of 13
Guinea Pigs are great pets. I've had a few girls over the years and now I've finally moved on to owning boys when my boyfriend bought me Digger. Digger's an American Silky in white and cream. Sometimes I call him 'creamsicle' but most of the time I call him my big fat 'marshmallow' because of how lazy he is.After Digger-who w... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Dark stories: 213 of 662
SwirlMy mind cracks sometimes at the seams and it spills thick yellow pus and sick viscous burgundy thoughts all over my new rugs. I always needed new rugs. The stains of my bleeding heart were too much to bear. They were everywhere and my husband didn't care. He loved the stains. He lived in the darkest messes, preening. I s... More..
Arts & Humanities > American Authors Book reviews: Marked: (House of Night Book 1), by PC Cast and Kristin Cast: 1 of 3
Marked follows Zoey Montgomery's journey to the House of Night, a boarding school for vampires. This book grabs you on page one and doesn't let you go until you're at the book store buying the the sequel Betrayed.The book is interesting because it's not the same old story of girl meets boy and boy is drop dead vampire who wan... More..
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Lunacy: 3 of 8
Slaking thirst, I laid in moonlight The whole night long Stretched my hands toward it grasping beams like individual strands of hair or straw or sticks or wicks of candles dancing their flames burning my eager fingers. Light, opalescent, made me prance, dance, glance at things not meant to be seen in your eyes. I see. I know.... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Spider-man 3 (2007): 10 of 26
A lot of people are saying that they saved the best for last in Spider-man 3. The hype is enormous when you're going to have a comic book staple like the Sandman in the same situation with Venom in the same movie. Rumors ran rampant that poor old Aunt May was going to get killed in this film which is hilarious if you ever rea... More..
Hobbies & Games > Yarn & Needle Crafts Loom reviews: Knifty Knitter looms: 2 of 5
Circle looms have been around for a long time but have enjoyed a resurgence with the Knifty Knitter Circle Looms. The colorful looms range in sizes from a loom small enough for doll hats to a full sized circle big enough for looming men's hats or a woman's purse.Using the looms is a snap. Wrap the yarn around twice and pull t... More..